When Rajon Rondo withdrew from team USA, a lot of Celtics fans lost interest in the World Championship games. Others, like myself, will be watching all the games because basketball is basketball and some is better than none. The Rondo-less Team USA is rolling right along with wins so far over Croatia and Slovenia.

But, Rondo wasn't the only Celtic scheduled to play in the World Championships. The Celtics' 60th pick from 2008 draft, Semih Erden, . has been playing in Turkey since the Celtics picked him, and has signed a 2 year contract to join the Celtics this upcoming season. He is playing for his national team in these games and for Celtics fans, this is the first real chance we have to get a look at the 7'1" Erden in action.

In Turkey's first game vs Ivory Coast, Erden had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 block in 19 minutes of play. In their game against Russia, Erden contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in 20 minutes. While he hasn't been playing at star level, he has been playing well. I can't wait to see what Clifford Ray can do with this kid.

Their next game is against Greece on Tuesday at 2:00 PM ET. It isn't televised but you can watch it on ESPN3.